Why? Both Planet of the Apes and The Twilight Zone were written by Rod Serling.
While most documentaries about the making of the original Planet of the Apes in 68' downplay Rod Serling's script contributions to the final product, for some reason. It's obvious that Rod Serling's original vision for the Planet of the Apes is all over this film.
Which is why the Planet of the Apes plays like a two-hour episode of the Twilight Zone, complete with twists of reality to serve as social commentary that includes the classic Rod Serling grandiose shock ending. Rod Serling's trademark form of story telling for his Twilight Zone series.
Charlton Heston is perfectly cast as Rod Serling's protagonist astronaut Taylor for 'The Planet of the Apes' Twilight Zone episode. A character that resembles a futuristic Moses who is cynically arrogant, world weary, and idealizes the discovery of something better than a planet dominated by his own species. But, instead of talking to a burning bush for guidance, he blasts off into outer space to discover a idealized alien utopia that he desires to live in.
However, what he discovers instead is a planet ruled by a civilization of Apes, with the antagonist human hating Orangutang Dr. Zaius at the top of the Apes societal pecking order. While humans occupy the absolute bottom of Ape society, and treated no better than wild animals to be hunted for sport, killed and experimented on.
This forces Taylor to put aside his previous self-loathing cynical world views in a struggle for survival after being captured by the Apes. Taylor may not like the human species very much, but he definitely likes himself enough to prevent being lobotomized by the Apes.
Taylor rediscovers what it means to be human during his struggle for survival on his new planet that he can't run away from this time. And is forced to kind of deal with it.
However, unfortunately for Taylor, Ape society shares his previous opinion about his own species, and Dr. Zaius wants to eliminate him in order to destroy the last hope of the human race for the purpose of continuing the domination of his own Ape species on the planet. And, is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that end.
I'll let everyone else interpret the meaning of Taylor's horrible discovery at the end of the movie, and what it means for him after his rediscovered sense of humanity after being reduced to a simple nomadic ancient species. Who can talk by the way.
Truly, a Rod Serling Classic and only movie. A must see.
While most documentaries about the making of the original Planet of the Apes in 68' downplay Rod Serling's script contributions to the final product, for some reason. It's obvious that Rod Serling's original vision for the Planet of the Apes is all over this film.
Which is why the Planet of the Apes plays like a two-hour episode of the Twilight Zone, complete with twists of reality to serve as social commentary that includes the classic Rod Serling grandiose shock ending. Rod Serling's trademark form of story telling for his Twilight Zone series.
Charlton Heston is perfectly cast as Rod Serling's protagonist astronaut Taylor for 'The Planet of the Apes' Twilight Zone episode. A character that resembles a futuristic Moses who is cynically arrogant, world weary, and idealizes the discovery of something better than a planet dominated by his own species. But, instead of talking to a burning bush for guidance, he blasts off into outer space to discover a idealized alien utopia that he desires to live in.
However, what he discovers instead is a planet ruled by a civilization of Apes, with the antagonist human hating Orangutang Dr. Zaius at the top of the Apes societal pecking order. While humans occupy the absolute bottom of Ape society, and treated no better than wild animals to be hunted for sport, killed and experimented on.
This forces Taylor to put aside his previous self-loathing cynical world views in a struggle for survival after being captured by the Apes. Taylor may not like the human species very much, but he definitely likes himself enough to prevent being lobotomized by the Apes.
Taylor rediscovers what it means to be human during his struggle for survival on his new planet that he can't run away from this time. And is forced to kind of deal with it.
However, unfortunately for Taylor, Ape society shares his previous opinion about his own species, and Dr. Zaius wants to eliminate him in order to destroy the last hope of the human race for the purpose of continuing the domination of his own Ape species on the planet. And, is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that end.
I'll let everyone else interpret the meaning of Taylor's horrible discovery at the end of the movie, and what it means for him after his rediscovered sense of humanity after being reduced to a simple nomadic ancient species. Who can talk by the way.
Truly, a Rod Serling Classic and only movie. A must see.